ANCIENT EGYPT. 1 35 



Progress was accelerated by the finding of another trilingual 

 and several bilingual tablets. The "determinatives" helped 

 greatly to such a knowledge as we now possess, leaving, 

 however, still much to be desired. 



An Egyptian scribe wrote principally on papyrus, a material 

 made from the substance in the stalks of the plant of that 

 name, cut in thin slices, which were gummed one over the 

 other and pressed flat. The largest papyrus yet found 

 measures over 135 feet in length. The pen was a reed, and 

 the inks were made from vegetable colours. Linen, leather, 

 wood, and potsherds were also written on besides stone. 

 The scribe generally belonged to the priestly caste. 



Religion. 



The Egyptians were the most religious people among the 

 ancients; but, after wading through the confused and 

 apparently contradictory material available, it is most difficult 

 to form any very clear idea as to whether that religion was 

 pantheistic, or a monotheism, a trinity in unity; and this is 

 greatly owing to palpable inconsistencies between the monu- 

 mental inscriptions and the other sacred writings, as well as 

 to a want of a fuller knowledge of the esoteric myths and 

 legends, so many of which seem hopelessly lost. Besides, we 

 are dealing with a period of time of more, probably much 

 more, than fifty centuries, over which naturally changes and 

 modifications took place, but in such a manner as to make 

 them most difficult to trace and differentiate ; for the forms, as 

 far as is known, remained with but little alteration. One 

 salient feature in the gradual process of evolution stands out 

 very clearly, and that lies in the modification of the ideas 

 concerning a retributive punishment, in Amenti, for wrong- 

 doing on earth, which became very much more pronounced 

 as time went on. The religion of the ancient Egyptians, 

 like that of other peoples, began doubtless with the legends 

 of ancestors, of heroes, around whose memory the myths 

 would soon cluster and crystalize. Pantheism, polytheism, 

 monotheism, and trinity in unity seemingly interweave and 



